Goodguys Columbus - The Main Event

Each Goodguys event has its own distinct flavor, from the early season excitement of Del Mar to the kickback attitude at shows like Puyallup and Rhinebeck to the valley of iron in Scottsdale. For many hot rodders and custom car guys--about 6,000 of them to be sort of exact--the big show of the season is in Columbus, Ohio, in July.

The fairground is expansive but spectator-friendly, the indoor and outdoor vendor areas are huge, the swap meet is first class, and even the food is great. But by far, the biggest reason we keep Columbus on our list of "must-go" shows is the outstanding number and excellence of the cars that show up. And Goodguys keeps the show running after hours with more show 'n' shine activity at the host hotel, where the parking lot gets packed with rods by dinnertime and the local streets become a parade of cruisers, with sidewalks packed with local spectators and the air thick with smoke from mysteriously melting rubber.

You know how Rod & Custom feels about traditional rods and customs, so when we're here, we're in '40s, '50s, and '60s heaven. Fans of contemporary street rods also have plenty to look at, as well as the truck guys, the musclecar crowd, and everybody else. You might even find something completely unexpected, such as the world's coolest Studebaker Lark. You never know.

While attending the Nashville show, we noted a movement toward two-door and four-door wagons. We noticed the same trend in Columbus, and we also spotted a huge number of hot-rodded trucks--from early roadster pickups to postwar Ford F-series trucks to weather-beaten (or faux weather-beaten) classics to handcrafted one-of-a-kind customs. As you can see from our sample of photos, they're everywhere.